Topic: Electricity, Heat, and Matter Content 1: The total amount of matter is conserved when it undergoes a change.
Lesson Plans: 1. Phsyical Changes and the Conservation of Matter
In everyday life, observations that things “disappear” or “appear” seem to contradict one of the fundamental laws
of nature: Matter can be neither created nor destroyed. This session explores various manifestations of the law,
and builds on the particle model of matter to explain physical changes. http://www.learner.org/courses/essential/physicalsci/support/ps_session3.pdf
Discrepant Events:
1.TopicElectricity, Heat and Matter
2. Student Research Investigation Question
How does mass change during a physical and chemical change (ice melting, Alka-Seltzer in water)?
3. Variables (dependent and independent)
dependent: mass of water, tablet, ice independent: heat, location
4. Hypothesis
They will weigh more, less, or the same.
5. Procedure
Students will weigh water and Alka-Seltzer separately, then dissolve the tablet in the water and weigh it again. Alternate: students will weigh an ice cube frozen, then melt it and weigh it again. Alternate: students will weigh a cookie, then break it apart to crumbs and weigh it again. Students should come to the conclusion that the mass remains the same no matter how the item changes. Simulations (Project WET, Project WILD, etc):
Websites/ ORC sites: 1. Water 3: Melting and Freezing
This resource allows students to explore what happens to the amount of different substances as they change from a solid to a liquid or a liquid to solid. Students investigate how melting and freezing impact the amount of three separate everyday items;
water, chocolate, and margarine. Guiding questions are provided for teachers.
ORC #413 http://sciencenetlinks.com/lessons/water-3-melting-and-freezing/ 2. Science Detectives
In this promising practice resource, students use observation skills to analyze the differences between physical and chemical changes in matter.
ORC #13563 http://www.uen.org/Lessonplan/preview?LPid=16212 Literature:
Change It!: Solids, Liquids, Gases, and You by Adrienne Mason
Matter: See It, touch It, Taste It, Smell It by Darlene R. Stille
What is Matter by Don L. Curry
What's the World Made of?: All about Solids, Liquids, and Gases by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld
Text References:
Experiments with Solids, Liquids, and Gases by Salvatore Tocci
Related Vocabulary:
Matter
Solid
Liquid
Gas
Phyiscal change
Chemical change
Content 2:Energy can be transformed from one for to another or can be transfered from one location to another.
Lesson Plans: 1. Are Mittens Warm?
First, read the book The Mitten by Jan Brett. Ask the students why all the animals wanted in the mitten. Then let your students hypothesis about whether or not mittens are warm. This really makes them think. They will need to find the room, plain mitten, and hand in mitten temperatures. When they begin to look at and analyze the data be prepared for lots of questions because mittens are NOT warm. http://classroommagic.blogspot.com/2011/12/are-mittens-warm.html
2. Three Little Pigs
Students will discover the importance of heat transfer, conduction of heat through different materials. Students will recognize that some materials are good conductors of heat and some materials are good insulators for heat. Students will discover the use of the Internet as a research tool. The Internet allows the students to research not only the ancient practices in building structures, as well as the latest practices available today. http://ed.fnal.gov/ntep/f98/projects/ornl/present.html
Discrepant Events:
STEM Events: 1. Measuring Weather
Students build weather instruments and record weather data.
Earth Science. Observing and recording weather data. Measurement: using measuring tools; Data Analysis: collecting and analyzing data; charts. Nature of Technology:tools and machines. http://technologyiselementary.com/userfiles/file/4th%20grade%20Measuring%20Weather.pdf
Simulations (Project WET, Project WILD, etc):
Websites/ ORC sites: 1. Thermometers
This promising practice lesson presents an opportunity for students to explore temperature and thermometers. Students begin by measuring the temperature in different locations around the school. They then construct a thermometer using everyday materials. Finally students record the atmospheric temperature for several days.
ORC #5252 http://www.uen.org/Lessonplan/preview.cgi?LPid=9840
2. A Hair Rasing Expereince
This promising practice instructional resource asks students to describe the behavior of static electricity as observed in nature and everyday occurrences. This activity uses working definitions determined by students that may or may not be completely correct; however, they should be used and corrected by the students as they gain more experience with an understanding of the concept. The strength of a working definition is that it is an indicator of student understanding and can be used by the teacher to guide further experiences.
Also, along with incorporating working definitions, this lesson allows teachers to address the common misconception that lightning is an example of static electricity. Lightning actually occurs after particles have built up positive and negative charges in the clouds jump to the ground or to another cloud and the energy is neutralized. The flash of lightning seen is actually an example of current electricity.
ORC #4940 http://www.uen.org/Lessonplan/preview?LPid=2226 3. Flowing Electrons
In this promising practice lesson students "act out" different types of circuits and then build their own circuits using wire, a bulb, a battery and a switch. After completing the lesson students create a booklet in which the express their understanding dc circuits through diagrams and writing.
ORC # 4950 http://www.uen.org/Lessonplan/preview?LPid=11347 4. Heat Video
This video discuses the transfer of heat through energy. Before watching, ask students why heat is important and why living things rely on this type of energy. http://www.brainpopjr.com/science/energy/heat/grownups.weml 5. The Atoms Family Website
Learn about atoms, electricity and more. http://www.miamisci.org/af/sln/
Literature:
Charged Up: The Story of Electricity
Heat Wave by Eileen Spinelli
The Magic Schoolbus and the Electric Field Trip by Joanna Cole
The Mitten by Jan Brett (Are Mittens Warm? Lesson)
Oscar and the Bird: A Book About Electricity by Geoff Waring
Switch On, Switch Off by Melvin Berger
Why Should I Save Energy by Jen Green
Text References:
Ask Your Science Teacher: Answers to Everyday Questions by Larry Scheckel
Grade 4 Physical Science
Topic: Electricity, Heat, and MatterContent 1: The total amount of matter is conserved when it undergoes a change.
Lesson Plans:
1. Phsyical Changes and the Conservation of Matter
In everyday life, observations that things “disappear” or “appear” seem to contradict one of the fundamental laws
of nature: Matter can be neither created nor destroyed. This session explores various manifestations of the law,
and builds on the particle model of matter to explain physical changes.
http://www.learner.org/courses/essential/physicalsci/support/ps_session3.pdf
Discrepant Events:
1.TopicElectricity, Heat and Matter
2. Student Research Investigation Question
How does mass change during a physical and chemical change (ice melting, Alka-Seltzer in water)?3. Variables (dependent and independent)
dependent: mass of water, tablet, iceindependent: heat, location
4. Hypothesis
They will weigh more, less, or the same.5. Procedure
Students will weigh water and Alka-Seltzer separately, then dissolve the tablet in the water and weigh it again.Alternate: students will weigh an ice cube frozen, then melt it and weigh it again.
Alternate: students will weigh a cookie, then break it apart to crumbs and weigh it again.
Students should come to the conclusion that the mass remains the same no matter how the item changes.
Simulations (Project WET, Project WILD, etc):
Websites/ ORC sites:
1. Water 3: Melting and Freezing
This resource allows students to explore what happens to the amount of different substances as they change from a solid to a liquid or a liquid to solid. Students investigate how melting and freezing impact the amount of three separate everyday items;
water, chocolate, and margarine. Guiding questions are provided for teachers.
ORC #413
http://sciencenetlinks.com/lessons/water-3-melting-and-freezing/
2. Science Detectives
In this promising practice resource, students use observation skills to analyze the differences between physical and chemical changes in matter.
ORC #13563
http://www.uen.org/Lessonplan/preview?LPid=16212
Literature:
Text References:
- Experiments with Solids, Liquids, and Gases by Salvatore Tocci
Related Vocabulary:Content 2: Energy can be transformed from one for to another or can be transfered from one location to another.
Lesson Plans:
1. Are Mittens Warm?
First, read the book The Mitten by Jan Brett. Ask the students why all the animals wanted in the mitten. Then let your students hypothesis about whether or not mittens are warm. This really makes them think. They will need to find the room, plain mitten, and hand in mitten temperatures. When they begin to look at and analyze the data be prepared for lots of questions because mittens are NOT warm.
http://classroommagic.blogspot.com/2011/12/are-mittens-warm.html
2. Three Little Pigs
Students will discover the importance of heat transfer, conduction of heat through different materials. Students will recognize that some materials are good conductors of heat and some materials are good insulators for heat. Students will discover the use of the Internet as a research tool. The Internet allows the students to research not only the ancient practices in building structures, as well as the latest practices available today.
http://ed.fnal.gov/ntep/f98/projects/ornl/present.html
Discrepant Events:
STEM Events:
1. Measuring Weather
Students build weather instruments and record weather data.
Earth Science. Observing and recording weather data. Measurement: using measuring tools; Data Analysis: collecting and analyzing data; charts. Nature of Technology:tools and machines.
http://technologyiselementary.com/userfiles/file/4th%20grade%20Measuring%20Weather.pdf
Simulations (Project WET, Project WILD, etc):
Websites/ ORC sites:
1. Thermometers
This promising practice lesson presents an opportunity for students to explore temperature and thermometers. Students begin by measuring the temperature in different locations around the school. They then construct a thermometer using everyday materials. Finally students record the atmospheric temperature for several days.
ORC #5252
http://www.uen.org/Lessonplan/preview.cgi?LPid=9840
2. A Hair Rasing Expereince
This promising practice instructional resource asks students to describe the behavior of static electricity as observed in nature and everyday occurrences. This activity uses working definitions determined by students that may or may not be completely correct; however, they should be used and corrected by the students as they gain more experience with an understanding of the concept. The strength of a working definition is that it is an indicator of student understanding and can be used by the teacher to guide further experiences.
Also, along with incorporating working definitions, this lesson allows teachers to address the common misconception that lightning is an example of static electricity. Lightning actually occurs after particles have built up positive and negative charges in the clouds jump to the ground or to another cloud and the energy is neutralized. The flash of lightning seen is actually an example of current electricity.
ORC #4940
http://www.uen.org/Lessonplan/preview?LPid=2226
3. Flowing Electrons
In this promising practice lesson students "act out" different types of circuits and then build their own circuits using wire, a bulb, a battery and a switch. After completing the lesson students create a booklet in which the express their understanding dc circuits through diagrams and writing.
ORC # 4950
http://www.uen.org/Lessonplan/preview?LPid=11347
4. Heat Video
This video discuses the transfer of heat through energy. Before watching, ask students why heat is important and why living things rely on this type of energy.
http://www.brainpopjr.com/science/energy/heat/grownups.weml
5. The Atoms Family Website
Learn about atoms, electricity and more.
http://www.miamisci.org/af/sln/
Literature:
Text References:
Related Vocabulary: